This looks delicious! I love the malted flavor, so I'll have to give this a try sometime.

During the Cakes episode, all bakers had to make a chocolate cake for their Showstopper Challenge. My housemates and I watched in fascination as the contestants came up with crazy ideas like embedding a chocolate squirrel into the center of a cake (a surprise for when you cut into the cake, I guess) and building a chocolate structure inspired by the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Most of the cakes paired the chocolate with a fruit like orange, cherry, and passion fruit. Almost all were over the top with elaborate, intricate designs.

I pointed this out to my housemates, who I had also gotten hooked on the show. "It's a shame, really. Why are the contestants trying so hard? I mean... it's chocolate. It's good enough on its own. I can make a better chocolate cake without too many other additional flavors or incredibly fancy decorations."

That was the second time my baking skills had been challenged by the damned show, and I wasn't going to stand for it. "Fine," I said, jumping up and storming to the kitchen. I threw open the cupboards and sorted through the ingredients I had on hand: bags of white chocolate chips (since I rarely bake anything with white chocolate), some malt powder from an abandoned baking idea, and finally, a bag of forgotten white chocolate Malteser malt balls from my latest trip to the Netherlands.

Ingredients:
For the White Cake:
(makes one 3-layer, 8-inch cake)
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon malt powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

For the Malted Milk Cake Soak:
(enough for one 3-layer, 8-inch cake)
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons malt powder

For the White Chocolate Frosting:
(enough for one 3-layer, 8-inch cake)
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon malt powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 cups (12 ounces) confectioner's sugar, sifted
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
5 ounces white chocolate malt balls (see baker's notes)

Recipe

For the White Cake:Preheat the oven to 350 (F). Prepare three 8-inch cake pans by spraying generously with cooking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon malt powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Beat together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to its lowest setting and add 4 egg whites one at a time, only adding the next egg white when the previous one has been fully incorporated. Do NOT overmix — only beat until just combined.

With the mixer on its lowest speed, add the flour mixture (from the 2nd step) in three parts, alternating with 1 cup whole milk in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Again, do NOT overmix — only beat until just combined, adding the next ingredient only when the previous one before it has been incorporated.

Once the mixture has come together, divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden and just firm. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, and the tops of the cakes should bounce back when gently poked with your finger. When the cakes are ready, let cool in their pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes, before inverting the cakes out to cool completely. Gently peel off the parchment tops and discard.

For the Cake Soak:Once the cake layers have cooled, make your cake soak by whisking together 1/2 cup whole milk and 2 tablespoons malt powder. Place the cake layers on a baking sheet and use a fork or a skewer to poke the tops of each cake all over. Use a pastry brush to gently brush the tops of each cake with a generous portion of the cake soak. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for 1 to 3 hours.

For the White Chocolate Frosting:Combine 6 ounces finely chopped white chocolate and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the two are melted, using a rubber spatula to stir every 15 to 20 seconds. Be careful not to burn your white chocolate — simply set the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds each time, and stir the chocolate in between each heating interval

In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 tablespoon malt powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Beat together on high speed until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the melted white chocolate mixture (from the 1st step) and beat for about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl, before gradually adding 3 cups confectioner's sugar on low speed. Continue beating until blended. Scrape the bowl again, before increasing the mixer speed to high and beating for another minute.

Putting It All Together:Place your jankiest layer on the cake plate and use an offset icing spatula to spread 1/3 cup of white chocolate frosting on top. Sprinkle the top with 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips. Place the second layer on top of the chocolate chips, and repeat the process. Finally, gently nestle your best layer for the top layer and use the remaining frosting to spread to cover the sides and the tops of the cake. Line the bottom of the cake with white chocolate malt balls, before lining the cake's top circumference with the remaining white chocolate malt balls.

source cake here